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The KC-135 Stratotanker<\/a> that lost part of its vertical stabilizer in a deadly midair collision over Iraq in March is among a group of damaged tankers<\/a> that have returned to Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., to be fully repaired.<\/p>\n This Stratotanker is one of a handful of KC-135s that were damaged while supporting operations against Iran earlier this year. The tankers were repaired by Airmen from the 76th Aircraft Maintenance Group\u2019s expeditionary depot maintenance flight, which allowed the planes to fly back to Tinker for more comprehensive repairs.\t\t<\/p>\n Those aircraft are now going into the depot maintenance process, where those patches will be fully repaired along with their regularly scheduled maintenance that takes place every five years, according an Air Force spokesperson.<\/p>\n The spokesperson said it is too soon to tell when these battle-damaged planes might return to service. Regular maintenance repairs typically take an average of 155 days to complete, the spokesperson said, but \u201cit is reasonable to assume\u201d these may take longer\u2014particularly if inspectors find more hidden damage or engineering problems.<\/p>\n At least six KC-135s have been damaged but still left repairable since the start of Operation Epic Fury, and a seventh was completely destroyed, according to U.S. officials. Five of those damaged Stratotankers were hit during an Iranian missile strike on Prince Sultan Air Base<\/a>, Saudi Arabia, in March. President Donald Trump confirmed five Stratotankers sustained at least some damage in a Truth Social post<\/a>.<\/p>\n The sixth damaged KC-135 was involved in a collision with another Stratotanker over western Iraq on March 12, losing part of its tail. That tanker was able to make an emergency landing in Israel afterward, but the other Stratotanker crashed<\/a>, destroying the plane and killing all six crew members<\/a> aboard.<\/p>\n